Electric-lamp socket



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY F. HITNER, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

v ELECTRIC-LAMP SOCKET.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 31, 1921.

Application filed December 1, 1919. Serial No. 341,704.

I '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY F. HITNER, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident are relieved of all thestrain of supporting the socket, and in which the wires can be attachedand locked securely in position in a most expeditious manner and withoutthe use of tools. Certain embodiments of the invention are illustratedin the accompanying drawings, wherein: I

. Figure -l is a vertical section through the socket with the parts inthe position occupied just before screwing in the cap. Fig. 2 is a planview of the body portion of the device. Fig. 3 is' a partial verticalsection through a 'IHOdlfiQdACOIlStI'IlCtlOIT, and Fig. 4 is a plan viewof the construction of- Fig. 3. Referring to the drawings, 1 is the bodyor socket portion of the device provided with the partition 2, havingtheslots 3 and 1.

This body portion may be made of any desired insulating material, suchas glass, por-. celain or vulcanite, glass being preferred because ofits cheapness. The front portion of the socket is threaded so as toreceive the metal contact sleeve 5, while the rear portion is threadedas indicated at 6' to re-- ceive the cap 7. ,This cap is provided with aflange portion 8 adapted to be threaded into the body portion and isalso provided with an opening 9 for the passage of the leading in wires'lOand 11. This cap portion is also preferably made of' the same materialas the body or socket portion and is threaded at the opening 9 so as tobe adapted to be secured to apipe connection when the socket is desiredto be used in this way.

T he: contact sleeve 5. is provided with a terminal 12 in the form of astri which has a bent over end back of the partition 2, such bent overend belng provided with slots 13, as

indicated in Fig. 2, to provide for the more secure attachment of theleading in wire.

A. second lamp contact member 14 is provided at the center of thepartition 2, such member being provided with a terminal 15, having abent over notched end 16 (Fig. 2-) similar to that of the otherterminal. The sleeve 5 may be molded in the material of the socket incase such material is vulcanized, but if .the material of the socket isglass, such sleeve is preferably screwed in after the formation of thesocket. ,In so assembling the two parts the terminal strip 12 is bentdown inside the shell with its free end directed inwardly. After theshell is screwed to position, the end of the strip 12 is-pressed throughthe slot 3 and bent over as illustrated.

In order to attach the leading in wires to the binding terminals 12 and15, loops are formed on the ends of the wire which are hooked around theends of the terminals and set in the recess 13. This gives a temporaryattachment between the wires and terminals and prevents the detachmentthereof while the capis being screwed in or in case such .cap shouldbecome accidentally loosened after being screwed in. When the cap isscrewed in, the end of the flange 8 engages the connections between theleading in wires and the binding terminals and clamps such connections,the cap being screwed down to such an extent that the bent over ends areflattened down, thus clamping the wires between the opposing surfaces ofthe binding terminals, and also very securely clamping such wires to thesocket itself. The bent over ends are-preferably of spring material sothat when the cap is screwed firmly into position, the bent over endsapply a continuous yieldi'ng pressure to the cap and tend to prevent theunscrewing of the cathe effect being similar to that of the we l knownspringwas'her'nut look. In orderto still further guard against theunscrewing of the cap, the low'er edge of the flange 8 may be madeslightly corrugated, as indicated at 17 so that when the cap is screwedtightly into position an increased resistance agalnst unscrewingisafforded. These corrugations must be made relatively slight in order notto give too much twisting upon the binding terminals when the cap isscrewed into posltion.

22 for connection with the leading in wires.

It will be seer-that when. the cap. is screwed into posii on and theleading in wires, clamped, all strain is removed'from the connectionbetween theleading in wires and the terminals, so that the danger of theleading in wires becoming detached is redu ced The construction alsoavoids the inconvenience and expense incident to the use of bindingscrew-s for the terminals. very easy matter to loop the wires over theterminals or to pass them through perforations 'in such terminals, and;this connectlon 13 then made very secure when. the cap is screwed intoposition. The making of the terminals of spring material -not onlyprovides the locking feature for the cap,. tending to prevent itsunscrewing, but such feature permits the return of the ends, to theiroriginal positions when the cap is unscrewed, which would not be theca'se if non-springmaterial were used, and the ends were flattened down'i ermanently by the pressure of-the cap,

. -andscrew1ng into the'socket, the front end any variations in thedetails of the con struction may obviously 'bemade without deiP31115111or from the invention, which COIltGIIi:

plates the leading in wiresand terminal-sand their.

connections and also to clamp s'uchiwiresto the socket. A great varietyof connections may be made between the wires and-terminals and the capmay besecured in position in'a variety of ways althoughthe screw con--nection is preferred. v

of leading inwires "the end of the cap so that when the cap is Itisaterminals extendin 1i1e'mbers to therear o broadly the use ofthe cap toclamp subscribed my name racemes What ll claim is: p 1. In combinationin a device of the class described, an insulating lamp socket, a plug orcap of insulating material threaded upon its exterior and screwing intothe rear end ofthe socket, andibinding terminals in the socket adaptedto be connected with the ends and positioned opposite screwed down intothe socket the end thereof engages the connections between the wires andterminals.

2. In combination in a device of the class described, an insulating lampsocket, a onepiece cap in the form of an annular ring ofinsulatingmaterial screw threaded into the rear end of. the sockets,'and binding terminals in the socket adapted to be connected withleading-in wires and located opposite. the edge of the cap so that-whensuch cap is screwed down into the socketthe edge there of engages:andclamps the corinectionsbe tween the wires and terminals.

' 3. In combination in a socket, a body portion of insulating materialand comprising a cylindrical member 'with' a transverse parftit ionportion intermediate its ends, lamp of the] partition,

contact members forward from said contact provided with end portions forengaging the ends of leading offsuch plug b'eingjinalinementwith theconnectionsbetwee-n the terminalsxand leading in wires, so that whentheplu-gis.

1 screwed intoposition'it clamps the'said con- H RRY-r. HITNER in wires,and a plug of lhsulating material threaded upon-its exterior l thepartition. and

